Van Gogh's Van Goghs

by Richard Kendall

The brilliantly colored paintings of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) are loved around the world. This stunning volume accompanies the largest exhibition of the artist's works outside the Netherlands in more than 25 years. The show opens at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in October 1998 and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in January 1999. This unique group of paintings is from the extraordinary collection of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, home to the single greatest assemblage of the artist's paintings, drawings, and letters. The collection is based on works acquired directly from the artist by his brother Theo, an art dealer and the source of Vincent's financial and emotional support. Among the museum's treasures reproduced here are some of the best-known images in Potato Eaters, The Bedroom, Self-Portrait as an Artist, Harvest, and Wheatfield with Crows. Richard Kendall's essay addresses Van Gogh's major themes and the different phases of his career. John Leighton contributes a history of the Van Gogh Museum and a biography of the artist. Richard Kendall is an independent scholar. John Leighton is director of the Van Gogh Museum

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Art History

160 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Wolf Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful treatise on the stages of the artwork in conjunction with Van Gogh's exposures and ideas to and of art. Full of quotes from his letters to flavor the examinations with some feeling, it also does a good job of picking the pieces of what to focus on to express the certain moments of revelation and progress he made as he went through his career. Very nicely put together. Not for those who are looking for a biography; this book moves through his painting, with his life on periphery as to why he did what he did, and not the other way around. Still; if you're an artist and curious about his compositions, I think this is a very nice quick read.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written to accompany a touring exhibit of paintings from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, this book is mostly a discussion of the development of the artist's style and technique. It minutely examines the paintings in question, illuminating brushwork and color.

[Kjersti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of the paintings are only shown in black and white. Whyyyyyyyyyy? I expect more from an art book. I had to google several images to see the full color version.

Also, too many words. The “narrative” was stuffy and hard to follow. The catalog of image names and info in the back was also hard to follow.

[Henry Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a beautiful book. For what it is, it is perfect: an art book with a cornucopia of prints on big wobbly paper, excellent descriptions appreciating and adding treats. I’ve never been so moved by a painter and I’m not often this moved by literature. It’s fantastic. I’m gonna be all over this book, it’s given me so much.

[quynhanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

excuse me, where is my "Starry night"?
where, and why?

[MomofTeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully written book makes me wish I’d taken a degree in art history.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and insightful

[pee-bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this, wonderful little book, and the print and photo quality was amazing!

[Stephen Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The colors and prints in this book are beautiful and there’s lots of great info on Van Gogh

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, I barely scratched the surface of this book. I read the Taschen book first - great collection of prints. Now that I skim through this book I bought at a used-book sale, I am disappointed. By sticking strictly to the van Gogh museum pieces, there are too many missing classics. Maybe I'll come back to this book. Meanwhile, I found the following two books at my local library (which I just put on hold):
1. Van Gogh : the life / Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
2. Vincent Van Gogh : the complete paintings / Rainer Metzger, Ingo F. Walther

I'll add to this review somewhere in the future, hopefully. I just see more writing than art in this book, and I'm early in my van Gogh phase, so I need more ART.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In this dreamlike scene, color is allowed a free, decorative role of the kind that Bernard and his associates had previously urged on Van Gogh, while the confusion of night and day, and the hallucinatory significance in the central building, must surely refer to the anticipated arrival of Gauguin in the town."

Weird. I just thought it was a picture of the house he was living in.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have owned the book like forever and just recently picked up and read it from cover to cover. While studying the paintings that are describe with the text. The book brought much more awareness of Van Goghs talent and his ideals of painting. He was truly a pioneer in the art of painting, his work and this book attest to that! I want more...